RWZ Training Dummies

It's probably just evidence of how "spaghetti code-ish" this game has gotten after almost 7 years of patches/updates.

The code that runs those dummies is probably linked (in strange unexpected ways) to other parts of the code related to how powers work or how targeting works or who knows what. When they make a change to something unrelated they probably unintentionally step on those target dummies, causing them to break from time to time.

Welcome to the very huge and relatively old computer application we call City of Heroes.

[EDIT] I thought the OP was talking about why they were sometimes not there after patch updates and/or server reboots. Didn't occur to me he was just talking about quirks with simple MOB spawning. Nevermind. [/EDIT]

This is FUNNY!

More specifically, static NPCs that don't move around. There's a chance for them to spawn when someone comes within spawning range.

That's why Studio 55 in ImpCity can be completely empty at times, especially if you're the first one there after a server reset. Or why Acantha (Halloween costume salvage contact) is sometimes there and sometimes not.

The purpose of this 'chance to spawn' code is to give the cities an air of organic unpredictability so you don't see the same static NPCs in the same place all the time.

The problem is that when this 'chance to spawn' code is applied to critters that are supposed to be there all the time. It should be considered a bug and /bugged when you see it.

Anyway, if you need to spawn a missing static NPC to interact with them/it, then just run out of spawning distance and back in (usually out of visual drawing distance) or rezone. You may have to do this several times to cause the spawn to happen.

Generally not.

A watched spot never spawns.

That's not always true. Many of my characters had groups of 12 or more mobs appear around them without any warning in the old Hollows. i had a low level WS get faceplanted in seconds by having over a dozen +4 Outcasts suddenly appear around him as he was resting. It's always been a rather rare event outside the old Hollows, but it can happen on occasion.

What's interesting is that spawning and despawning distance for critters is sometimes less than the draw distance, so you see a group fade in/out/or be replaced by a different group as you approach.

It's a small possibility that might have been somebody's ambush that spawned on top of him.

I've certainly seen that a lot, but still never close enough to be right on top of somebody.

A watched spot never spawns with occasional static non-combat NPCs.